Breathing correctly will enable you to access and harness a more powerful and effective way to communicate. You will explore how you use your breath and energy by learning simple techniques to control adrenaline, speak with presence and connect with your audience.

Michelle Pilkington was trained by world renowned and highly respected master voice and shakespeare teacher Patsy Rodenburg OBE, New York.

You will be at the centre of the action of the day and we use video-recording experiential activities,

Transformational speech coaching

Q & A and Media presentation coaching

Your visual story

Something magical happens when you rehearse; your fear recedes and you are free to play with and explore your content. You allow the audience to relax and both you and the audience enjoy the present. We look at the importance of listening and how to give your audience the time to think and reflect on what is being said.

The key to good presenting is human energy and we will look at how to maximise and use your present energy. We will coach you to look at your current approach and train your energy to be connected to a specific point outside of yourself. This type of energy is intimate, epic and very powerful when connecting to an audience.

Your energy has to match any space you work in, so that means your body, breath, and speech. Here we train you to breath with your audience so that you connect with them, and take them along with you. We will help you contextualise your presentations to reflect the needs and aspirations of your audience: we want them on your side.

Assistance and support on props and technology will be provided and we look at the boundaries, responsibilities and Q & A requirements.

After your time with us you will be energised in your body and delivery. Your audience will matter, and through your eye contact they will feel connected to you and your presentation. It will be clear you have authenticity and humility in your presence and even if there are a thousand people present, you will make each individual feel that you are speaking to them personally.

It takes courage to stand up and speak, as well as to sit down and listen in front of the camera. The day begins at a pace you would expect to find when being confronted by the media. We will prepare you for difficult conversations and you will learn how to state your point whilst sharing your reasoning and encouraging others to enquire. You will learn how to define the issues and purposes of an interview, how to express clearly what you believe, and test out your conclusions. We will look for ways to co-design how you discuss issues, keeping your responses relevant and to the point. You will explore how to maintain safe and respectful dialogue for giving bad news, conveying what is important without dancing around the issue.

Just as there are guidelines for ethical behaviour in other areas in life, so there are guidelines for ethics in public speaking. These guidelines will help you face certain dilemmas and provide a reliable compass to help you find your way.

One of the outcomes you can expect is that you will be talking to your audience, not speaking at your audience. Your voice will be open and clear; not pushed and forced. We will be able to listen to you with ease as we experience your energy and passion appearing effortless and efficient.

Public speaking offers you the opportunity to make a difference in something you care about very much. Here we look at your responsibilities, your audience, the structure, language and your delivery. You will take chances and stretch yourself. We will see you, hear you, and get to know you!

You will begin the day by working analog, progressing to uploading your concept using your chosen software for peer critique. Focus will be on design, your brand consistency, language, whitespace, unity and flow, tackling slide troubleshooting as we go. We will help you identify information overload, wordy slides and dense data. Through this process you will recognise the value of good visual design in communicating messages.

Developing a set of guidelines ensures the preservation of the visual attributes of your brand and automatically streamlines the development process. Templates increase productivity and protect the investment here. Your clients look for the same visceral reaction to your presentation as they do with your products, services and ad campaigns. We instil this by developing a well-designed system of components that you can build on.

In the second part of the workshop your presentation will be filmed to assess and critique your flow and engagement. This time is valuable in that it allows everyone to free up ideas and expand on possibilities. Your confidence in your visuals will make your audience feel secure in the knowledge you know what you are doing.

The Hero’s Journey

A leader communicates a vision, initiative or product which promotes a response and action by others. Your team and organisation need to understand and be inspired for the journey ahead.

We have included ‘The Hero’s Journey’ created by inspirational scholar Joseph Campbell. We feel his theory is one of the best when learning how to inspire and get others to commit to your idea, for people to take action and strengthen their resolve.

A condenced version is as follows;

Your team (audience) is full of anticipation while you introduce a unique idea to them.

Resistant at first, you give them evidence and valuable insight and they commit.